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In Pictures: Marissa Mayer

That tremor you may have noticed yesterday was the collective shudder of people who work from home, when they heard that new Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayerhas banned the practice. Mayer, in a memo soon to be legendary in human resources circles, declared that she needed her troops in the office as Yahoo climbs out of a crisis.

"To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side," Mayer wrote.

There have been a number of news reports suggesting that Yahoo employees exploited the company's work at home policy, which might explain why the company is in the situation that it's in. If that's the case, you can understand that Mayer is looking for a solution.

Mayer is certainly showing decisiveness in her first months at Yahoo, even returning to the job just two weeks after giving birth. But leaders aren't only decisive. They admit when they are wrong, and that's what Mayer should do here.

I am among the estimated 30 million Americans who work from remote locations, and I've done so off and on for more than a decade. In that time, I've built a career as a nationally known business journalist, written two of my four books, taught MBAs and undergraduates, and also honed my culinary skills.

I've worked in an office when I needed to be there, as I did in public radio, and spent ample time in the home office of my previous employer, The New York Times. Now, I divide my time between the campus at Central Michigan University and my home office in Ann Arbor, Mich. I can operate comfortably in both a remote and an on-site environment, but given a choice, I vastly prefer the ability to work from home.

People who've only worked in office environments often misconstrue what we do when we're not in the building. "I could never work from home," a friend told me a few years back. "I'd be watching soap operas and reading tabloids."

Well, you don't watch soap operas and read tabloids if you're serious about your career and giving value to your employer and your colleagues. I'm sure the shocked employees at Yahoo feel the same way, as they're bound to be letting Mayer know right now. The situation reminds me of something Professor John Whitney once said to our Columbia Business School class. Blanket declarations don't work, he told us. If you lay off 10 percent of the work force, you might have just gotten rid of the person who has the key to the bathroom.

Ever since Mayer's memo leaked, there's been a spirited conversation about the validity of working at home (or WAH, as it's nicknamed). In fact, the comments below reflect that. So does the chat we've had all this morning about it on Twitter.

Here's a feel for my typical day, and it doesn't begin by sleeping in. I'm up between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., just as many of my commuting colleagues are. After ablutions and breakfast, my first stop is Twitter (you can find me @mickimaynard) for a check of the headlines and conversations. Next, I'm reading deeper into the news.

I may have an 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. conference call, especially during earnings season. If I am driving from Ann Arbor to the CMU campus in Mt. Pleasant, I now hit the road. If I'm working at home, I'm starting in on the story I need to prepare that day, or sketching out my next lecture.

At some point, I take a lunch break. Sometimes, I go downtown to Kerrytown, where I like to have business lunches at Monahan's Seafood, or pop over to Zingerman's Roadhouse. Both those locations have wi-fi, so I can work before my appointment arrives, and stay afterwards for coffee or some more work. Throughout the day, I'm on social media, scouring the Web for information, setting up more appointments and calls for future interviews, checking out new apps and media technology.

Depending on family responsibilities, my work days can wrap up as early as 5 p.m. or go beyond 7 p.m. But they're never really over, since I'm always on the hunt for ideas that can turn into stories for Forbes, and my other media clients, or my food blog, CulinaryWoman. I'm constantly making notes to myself about topics I can introduce to my business journalism and entrepreneurial journalism students, and responding to their emails and texts. Since I'm responsible for posting and maintaining my Web site, I spend time on multi media projects, too.

There's no nine to five for me, even though I work remotely. And knowing the competitive culture of Silicon Valley, I doubt that any of the Yahoo employees working from home are limiting themselves to four hours of work before lunch and four after. If they're devoted to the company, and creative, they're thinking all the time.

Mayer is new to the Yahoo culture, and she certainly wants to send a message that she's going to do things differently. This is one of the top women in her field, and she knows she faces a tough job. But if her intent is to spark innovation, she picked the wrong battle, and now it's time to climb down.

It will not be seen as a defeat for her to say, "You know what? I was wrong" and reverse the working from home ban. She is well within her rights to say, "We're in a tough spot. For now, I need you in the office" as long as people know that long-term, their ability to work from home is preserved. If there are some abusers, and it's hard to believe that every single WAH from Yahoo is one, then deal with them. Don't punish the entire workforce to weed out the weak links.

As someone who has been a manager over the years, I know what she was trying to do: set out her priorities. And, employees like clear direction. I also know that people respect you if you listen, and show flexibility. All the people heaping criticism on Mayer for her "stone age" step will hopefully praise her, if she does reverse her decision. I know I'd want to work for a boss who showed that kind of leadership. Especially, from home.